Ethical Issues

Bearjazz · 11 months

Some estimates place the incidence of cold sores (that is, type 1 herpes, the kind you get on your lips) at around 80% of the population. A lot of people have it and don't even know.

Obviously, you should avoid kissing people when you have a breakout. Other than that, that is not too much to worry about.

fdot · 11 months

There are a few threads about herpes making the rounds. You should search reddit and look for them. They have some good info. This is a post someone linked that I found particularly insightful.

Honestly, in my opinion, herpes is just not that big a deal. There is a ton of stigma associated with it because OMGZ IT'S AN STI!!!!! But the symptoms are hardly more than an inconvenience. Most people in the world have a form of herpes and a majority of them don't even know it. I just kind of assume I probably have the oral variety since I was prone to all sorts of weird skin things as a kid.

It's actually pretty safe to assume that most people you might kiss or have sex with have it -- and if someone doesn't have it, the likelihood of them getting it from you if you're not having an outbreak is pretty small.

You should absolutely inform your partners that you have it, for the sake of honesty and transparency. You might have a few people freak out but I think most won't actually care much, especially if they research it.

wearetherowboats · 11 months

I get cold sores occasionally and have always been very careful about not spreading them. Just to reassure you, I had a boyfriend for 10 years who never contracted them from me. Just be sure not to go kissing people when you have an attack or think you're getting one (the dreaded tingle!).

joshuax · 11 months

Maybe you should listen to this: http://polyweekly.com/2010/12/poly-weekly-261-the-sti-special-part-1/

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